On PM-Trump Phone Call, Congress' 'Triple Jhatka ' Jab, BJP's "Liar" Reply

NDTV

4 hours ago

New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's phone call with Donald Trump - in which the US President's claim of negotiating the India-Pakistan ceasefire after Operation Sindoor was firmly rebutted - was labelled a 'triple jhatka ' by the Congress' Jairam Ramesh Wednesday afternoon.
The Congress said the call, claimed as a diplomatic win by the government, and its context were actually a 'triple jolt' to India. The big ' jhatka ', it said, was that it took place as Pak Army chief General Asim Munir is expected to have lunch with Mr Trump in the White House later today.
"Asim Munir, the man whose inflammatory, incendiary, and provocative remarks were linked directly to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attacks, is having lunch with President Trump in the White House."
"Is this why President Trump abandoned the G7 Summit a day early..." Mr Ramesh asked on X, demanding to know if Mr Modi had raised this issue in his conversation with the American leader.
Field Marshall Asim Munir, the man whose inflammatory, incendiary and provocative remarks were linked directly to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attacks, is having lunch today with President Trump in the White House. Is this why President Trump abandoned the G7 Summit a day early…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 18, 2025
"He (the PM) should have made the US President aware of the direct link between Asim Munir's absolutely unacceptable remarks... which gave oxygen to the Pahalgam terrorists."
General Munir was condemned in India for inflammatory and outrageous comments days before the Pahalgam terror attack; the Pak Army chief had described Kashmir as Islamabad's 'jugular vein'.
The remarks were flagged by Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, who said the terrorists who killed 26 people based on their faith, had been driven by Gen Munir's "extreme religious outlook".
US President Donald Trump and Pak Army chief General Asim Munir (File).
The opposition party has now claimed that Gen Munir being in the US at this time - while Mr Modi and Mr Trump spoke about the terror attack orchestrated by the Pak deep state - reflects poorly on India.
The Congress leader also referred to repeated claims (14 by Mr Ramesh's count) by Mr Trump of having " sure as hell helped settle the problem between India and Pak" and remarks by a top American general about Islamabad being a 'phenomenal' partner in counter-terror operations'.
These combined, Mr Ramesh, declared, constituted a "triple jhatka".
"... Indian diplomacy is being shattered and the PM is totally silent," he said, demanding the PM summon and brief Parliament, in detail, on this phone conversation with President Trump.
"For 37 days the Prime Minister did not say anything... today we are told he had a 35-minute call with President Trump... (who) has also put out a statement from the White House. There is a difference between the two statements... Why cannot the PM call an all-party meet (and) say the same thing (he told Mr Trump) in Parliament. Take opposition leaders into confidence and say the same thing..."
BJP's "Congential Liar" Response
Mr Ramesh's broadside was countered by the BJP's Amit Malviya, who called the Congress leader "a congenital liar - much like Rahul Gandhi". The taunt was aimed at the claim the US had released a readout of the call with the PM. As of 1.40 pm, Mr Malviya said, no statement had been released.
"He is now peddling yet another falsehood, claiming that Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's statement doesn't match the US readout - while dramatically waving his phone around."
Jairam Ramesh has long been known for peddling fake narratives — even many within his own party have admitted it openly. But this time, he has been caught with his hand in the till!
Look closely till 1:40 PM — US Embassy spokesperson Christopher Elms clearly states there has… pic.twitter.com/fzdCbRNsJe
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) June 18, 2025
"But here is the catch: the readout he is citing is from January 2025! There is no official US release yet on the latest call," he declared, "The Congress and its troll army simply cannot digest the fact PM Modi told President Trump in clear terms - India neither needs nor accepts any third-party mediation."
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also blasted the Congress, calling it the "biggest supplier, spreader and cultivator" of fake news.
Meanwhile, the Congress leader was not the only one to raise questions over the details of the call as announced by the Foreign Secretary. Shiv Sena UBT's Sanjay Raut said Mr Trump needed to "tweet about it (that the US had no role in the ceasefire) and say he takes back his words".